A few years ago I belonged to SparkPeople (under a different username). I tried tracking my food back then and found it to be a big pain. I did it all of a day or two. A friend of mine was tracking her food last summer when we went on a road trip and she was always writing down what she was eating, to enter later. It wasn't a hassle to me that she did it, but it seemed like a hassle to her.

I've been, um, irregular lately and wondering about my diet. I researched those probiotic pills but am unsure if I really want to go that route. As I've mentioned, I have celiac disease and one of the most empowering aspects of having it is the fact that I control the symptoms simply by what I (don't) eat -- gluten. I often say it is the best chronic disease to have -- people with celiac just have to make one change and the disease is under control.

I'm thinking about attempting to track my food again to see if tracking will shed light on my nutrient intake, with the goal of becoming regular. Food tracking seems so hard because food has so many components to it -- adding individual meats, beans, veggies, etc seems like a lot of work. Also, I'm not interested in weighing my food or measuring it out. I don't believe that I need to track my calories like others on this site NEED to.

Do you track your food? Do you do it because you absolutely NEED to? How do you do it when you eat out? When you make a recipe not from SparkPeople? Any insights on making this seem easier is welcomed. I'm not very convinced I'll stick with it, but I want to explore and try.